Item - 2026.EX29.4
Tracking Status
- City Council adopted this item on March 25 and 26, 2026 with amendments.
- This item was considered by Executive Committee on March 10, 2026 and was adopted with amendments. It will be considered by City Council on March 25 and 26, 2026.
EX29.4 - Pothole Blitz and Local Road Repair Strategy
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Amended
- Wards:
- All
Caution: Motions and votes are shown below. Any motions or votes should not be considered final until the meeting is complete, and the decisions for this meeting have been confirmed.
Committee Recommendations
The Executive Committee recommends that:
1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to implement an ongoing pothole blitz strategy, informed by local road conditions, 311 data and the planned enhanced road work under the Fixing Roads Faster program, to address the particularly tough freeze and thaw cycle this winter.
2. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services and any other required divisions to accelerate the chatbot and AI integration pilot currently underway with the City’s 311 platform, in order to support City Council’s request for an ongoing, data‑driven pothole blitz strategy.
Background Information (Committee)
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-284780.pdf
Communications (Committee)
Motions (City Council)
That:
1. City Council request the Executive Director, Customer Experience to investigate opportunities to improve resident access to pothole reporting, with a focus on areas of the City that show lower levels of 311 reporting.
2. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services, in consultation with the Executive Director, Customer Experience and any other divisions or agencies, to explore developing a dedicated interactive map on the City of Toronto’s website to track pothole repair requests for potholes that are larger than a shoebox, including their status of being resolved.
That:
1. City Council request the City Manager and the General Manager, Transportation Services to create a taskforce composed of industry leaders, academics, non-profit associations, and other relevant stakeholders, to examine the root causes of the deterioration of Toronto’s road network, including weather patterns, technology, traffic, paving schedules, department organizational, and asphalt mixtures, and report back by the first quarter of 2027 to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee with a plan to systematically rehabilitate the roads into a state of good repair including reducing the number of potholes after the winter season.
Vote (Amend Item (Additional)) Mar-26-2026 10:50 AM
| Result: Lost | Majority Required - EX29.4 - Myers - motion 2 |
|---|---|
| Total members that voted Yes: 9 | Members that voted Yes are Brad Bradford, Alejandra Bravo, Lily Cheng, Rachel Chernos Lin, Stephen Holyday, Parthi Kandavel, Jamaal Myers, Dianne Saxe, Neethan Shan |
| Total members that voted No: 13 | Members that voted No are Paul Ainslie, Jon Burnside, Shelley Carroll, Mike Colle, Vincent Crisanti, Nick Mantas, Josh Matlow, Chris Moise, Amber Morley, Frances Nunziata (Chair), James Pasternak, Gord Perks, Michael Thompson |
| Total members that were Absent: 4 | Members that were absent are Olivia Chow, Paula Fletcher, Ausma Malik, Anthony Perruzza |
That:
1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services, to report to City Council by the end of the first quarter of 2027 with a comprehensive update on the roads state of good repair asset management system and repair backlog as an update to IE17.3 - Reducing the State of Good Repair Backlog and Enhancing Cycling Lane Maintenance, and to provide options to accelerate the reduction of the backlog.
That:
1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to:
a. conduct a jurisdictional scan and research the use of smart technology cameras installed on municipal vehicles such as waste management trucks and buses to monitor road conditions and detect potholes;
b. research new asphalt material innovations with a cost benefit analysis in light of the cost of fixing potholes; and
c. report to the Infrastructure and Environment Committee in the third quarter of 2027 on the feasibility of piloting this AI technology and new asphalt material.
Vote (Amend Item (Additional)) Mar-26-2026 10:51 AM
| Result: Carried | Majority Required - EX29.4 - Cheng - motion 4 |
|---|---|
| Total members that voted Yes: 19 | Members that voted Yes are Paul Ainslie, Brad Bradford, Shelley Carroll, Lily Cheng, Rachel Chernos Lin, Olivia Chow, Vincent Crisanti, Stephen Holyday, Parthi Kandavel, Nick Mantas, Josh Matlow, Chris Moise, Amber Morley, Jamaal Myers, Frances Nunziata (Chair), James Pasternak, Dianne Saxe, Neethan Shan, Michael Thompson |
| Total members that voted No: 5 | Members that voted No are Alejandra Bravo, Jon Burnside, Mike Colle, Paula Fletcher, Gord Perks |
| Total members that were Absent: 2 | Members that were absent are Ausma Malik, Anthony Perruzza |
Vote (Adopt Item as Amended) Mar-26-2026 10:54 AM
| Result: Carried | Majority Required - EX29.4 - Adopt the item as amended |
|---|---|
| Total members that voted Yes: 24 | Members that voted Yes are Paul Ainslie, Brad Bradford, Alejandra Bravo, Jon Burnside, Shelley Carroll, Lily Cheng, Rachel Chernos Lin, Olivia Chow, Mike Colle, Vincent Crisanti, Paula Fletcher, Stephen Holyday, Parthi Kandavel, Nick Mantas, Josh Matlow, Chris Moise, Amber Morley, Jamaal Myers, Frances Nunziata (Chair), James Pasternak, Gord Perks, Dianne Saxe, Neethan Shan, Michael Thompson |
| Total members that voted No: 0 | Members that voted No are |
| Total members that were Absent: 2 | Members that were absent are Ausma Malik, Anthony Perruzza |
EX29.4 - Pothole Blitz and Local Road Repair Strategy
- Decision Type:
- ACTION
- Status:
- Amended
- Wards:
- All
Committee Recommendations
The Executive Committee recommends that:
1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services to implement an ongoing pothole blitz strategy, informed by local road conditions, 311 data and the planned enhanced road work under the Fixing Roads Faster program, to address the particularly tough freeze and thaw cycle this winter.
2. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services and any other required divisions to accelerate the chatbot and AI integration pilot currently underway with the City’s 311 platform, in order to support City Council’s request for an ongoing, data‑driven pothole blitz strategy.
Origin
Summary
Every year the City fills hundreds of thousands of potholes through regular road repair and targeted pothole blitzes. In 2025, over 250,000 potholes were filled, an increase of 44 percent since 2022. City crews are out across Toronto this year filling potholes as the snow melts.
Last June, Councillor Fletcher and I brought a Member Motion (MM31.19 Fixing Roads Faster) to City Council that launched a special repaving program to tackle local roads in poor condition, including those with the most significant pothole issues, in addition to regularly scheduled road work. This program accelerated resurfacing of 24 local roads, all ahead of their original schedules. As part of my 2026 Budget, we have invested $11 million in new funding to build on the Fixing Roads Faster program and expand local resurfacing above and beyond the previous level of local road repair. This program will continue to scale as we build on each year’s progress.
This year, unprecedented winter weather means roads are in rough shape and this work is more important than ever. I am recommending we implement a pothole blitz strategy that is informed by 311 data and planned in coordination with the Fixing Roads Faster program to keep Toronto moving.
Background Information
https://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2026/ex/bgrd/backgroundfile-284780.pdf
Communications
Motions
That:
1. City Council request the General Manager, Transportation Services and any other required divisions, to accelerate the chatbot and AI integration pilot currently underway with the City’s 311 platform, in order to support Council’s request for an ongoing, data‑driven pothole blitz strategy.